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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

June Brown 'longed for a companion' in her final years after losing two husbands

June Brown wanted to meet a man in her later years ago they could enjoy cute trips to the theatre together.

The soap world is in mourning following the death of the legendary EastEnders actress aged 95.

Her family said they were "deeply saddened" to announce that their "beloved mother" had died "very peacefully" at her Kent home on Sunday.

Her fans and friends have been remembering her incredible life, and how she reacted to the cruel hand she was often dealt.

June, iconic Dot Cotton on the show since the early 1980s, refused to be broken by the devastating loss of her two husbands, daughter and two siblings.

June Brown wanted some late-life love in her life - just like her character Dot Cotton (BBC)

Her first love John Garley tragically took his life in 1957 after suffering from depression.

They married when she was just 23 but was a widow before her 30th birthday.

The star's second husband Robert Arnold, the father of her five children, died almost 20 years ago from of Lewy-body dementia.

June spoke in her autobiography Before The Year Dot about a final romance that sadly never arrived.

She struggled with the loss of Robert Arnold, the father of her five children (Reveille)

She wrote: "Am I content? I should be. I was always taught to say thank you for everything, good or bad.

"I miss Bob, but I don’t want another marriage. I’d like a companion, though. Someone to go to the theatre with."

She was asked by the Scottish Herald if she was a naughty girl - and had quite the answer.

"Not like Princess Diana - now she was naughty!

"But I did fall in love a lot. I have been very honest in the book except I don't write about physical details.

Tributes have flooded in for the TV great (GETTY)

"No way would I do that, apart from dear James, who was like a feather. The sex was terribly boring."

Despite losing a child, two husbands and her sister and brother, June she always refused to say she has had a troubled life.

"I can’t say my life has been dominated by tragedy," she said. "I refuse to accept that. I’ve had less than some, more than others."

An EastEnders spokesperson confirmed June's passing on Monday, stating: "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved June Brown, OBE, MBE, sadly passed away last night.

"There are not enough words to describe how much June was loved and adored by everyone at EastEnders, her loving warmth, wit and great humour will never be forgotten.

"June created one of the most iconic characters in Dot Cotton, not just in soap but in British television, and having appeared in 2,884 episodes, June's remarkable performances created some of EastEnders' finest moments.

"We send all our love and deepest sympathies to June's family and friends. A very bright light has gone out at EastEnders today but we shall all be raising a sweet sherry in June's memory.

"Rest in peace, our dearest June. You will never be forgotten."

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